So, for those who don't know me, I'm Vectis
I've been a moderator on HC for nearly 5 years. I'm often on the forum, catching up on threads and doing modly duties, although I don't get to post as often as I used to. I enjoy doing the photo month as it brings me back to posting more.
My current menagerie consists of hamsters (Chinese, Syrians, Campbells, a winter white, hybrids), duprasis, and Rogue-dog. In the past I've had a broader range of species and I thought I'd share some of my past non-hamster beasties with you.
Back in 2012 I got my first harvest mouse. Robin came back from Holland with me and he was such a cutie. Sadly he only lived a year and there followed other harvies in his pawprints: Puck, Oberon, Foxglove, Juniper and Tiny. Puck was a real pickle and suffered from fits and a sensitivity to cooler weather. He wasn't tame so taking him to the vet was interesting. Tiny on the other hand was a tame lad and the vet was so interested to see him that he didn't charge us for the appointment! Thankfully Tiny passed away peacefully in his own nest of his testicular tumour a couple of weeks later so we never had to cross the bridge of euthanising a 5g mouse. I loved my harvies - they were fascinating to watch and so low maintenance to keep, though not a creature for handling. I can see harvies returning to Vectis one day...
P1050173 by
Vectis Hamstery, on Flickr
2012 also saw me owned by fancy mice for the first time. Initially a female herd of 5 mice: Venus, Aurora, Diana, Minerva and Pax. The group fluctuated in number as some died and other rescue mice needed a home and friends. At one point the Goddesses, as they were known, hit a 10 strong herd of female and neutered male mice. They were more high maintenance than the harvies, and needed more cleaning and far more vet trips. They were however really interesting to observe how they interacted and how individual they were. I decided to take a break from mouse ownership after a run of health problems with them that were rather heart-breaking.
P1080488 by
Vectis Hamstery, on Flickr
Several years ago I also had a pair of rescue acacia rats, Imani and Tumaini. They were the size of small Syrian hamsters but with tails and cute face masks. They loved to climb and were so agile. They also liked to nip skin and I couldn't handle them without gloves, and even then they'd climb up me to find bare flesh to nip. Sweet lads, but not an experience I wish to repeat! I did enjoy watching them have free range time in the hallway.
L1210972 by
Vectis Hamstery, on Flickr
Now to non-furry creatures! For a number of years I had one and then two small tropical fish tanks. Being small tanks, they were difficult to maintain and I under-stocked them with a large filter. I had a mix of shrimps, snails and fish, with Siamese fighters, gourami and neon tetras as my favourites (the Siamese fighters preferred to live without tankmates). Very beautiful and calming. I remember the day I was cleaning out the tank in the living room and felt water on my arm. I thought nothing of it as I was cleaning the tank until I felt water on my head - the flat upstairs had a leak and it was coming through the light fitting!
L1060722 by
Vectis Hamstery, on Flickr
Last but not least is Errol, my crested gecko. She was a shy but lovely creature and a real learning curve. I didn't find her that keen on interaction and was hard to spot in her vivarium. I, and an exotic vet, thought she was male until she started laying eggs, hence the name. I loved how she could lick her own eyeballs!
fullsizeoutput_73 by
Vectis Hamstery, on Flickr